Improvement in machines for thrashing and hulling clover



M. H.'MANSFIELD.

Clover Thrasher and Huller Patented July 24, 1866.

N. PETERS, PhokwLllhographer, Washington D. c.

UNITED STATES PAIFFmE...

M. H. MANSFIELD, OF ASHLAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR THRASHING AND HULLING CLOVER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,583, dated J nly 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, M. H. MANSFIELD, of Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Ohio, have invented certain novel Improvements on Clover-Seed and other Thrashing, Hulling, and Separating Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of'this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of the improved machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same, taken in. the vertical plane indicated by red line a 00, Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the thrashing and hulling and .fanning portions of the machine,taken in avertical plane indicated by red line y 3 Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the center of the thrashing and hulling and fanning chambers. Fig. 5 is a top View of a separating-shoe which is arranged beneath the screens. Fig. 6 is a top view of one end of the perforated table over which the straw passes. Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of two teeth of the concave and one tooth of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

One object of my invention is to arrange at the ends of a thrashing-cylinder one or more fans and fan-chambers in such manner that the dust, &c., rising in the thrashing-chamber and delivery-passage thereto shall be drawn into the fan-chambers and forced out toward the rear end of the machine, thus preventing the escape of dust, chaff, 860., at the delivering end of the machine into the face of the operator stationed at that point, as will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to arrange beneaththe screens a shoe for receiving the seed falling therefrom, said shoe having stepped inclined planes arranged in it in such manner that the seed shall be further cleaned and purified of dust and light chaff, which may escape through the said screens, and then be conducted into a suitable receptacle, as will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to employ metallic pickers up on the perforated strawshaker, instead of wooden pickers, hitherto used, for the purpose of admitting of a greater number of holes being made in the shaker, as will be hereinafter specified.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the frame of the machine. B is the thrashing and hullin g cylinder, which is armed with teeth having double-convex sides, and which is arranged transversely across one end of the frame A, over the concave B. This concave B is also armed with teeth of a beveled form and constructed with serrated sides and ends, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The cylinder B is housed in above by means of guard-boards a a and a coverin g-board, a an opening in front being left for the introduction of substances to be thrashed, and another opening, in rear of said cylinder, being left for the discharge of the thrashed and hulled substance upon the strawshaker G. The inclined board a is for conducting the substance to be acted upon into the concave B, or between it and the cylinder B.

On each side of the passage leading down to the concave is an opening, 1), (shown in Fig. 3,) which opening is the induction'passage to a circular chamber, 1), in which fans b are arranged upon the shaft of the cylinder 15, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4..

V The dust, chaff, 860., arising in the thrashing and hulling chamber, at the point where the substances enter said chamber, are drawn into the fan-chambers through the side passage, I), and forced out at the opposite side of the cylinder B upon the strawshaker O, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3.- By thus providing fan-chambers at the sides of the machine the fans therein can be applied to and driven by the shaft of the thrashing and hulling cylinder, and all dust which rises in front of the said cylinder will be conducted off, instead of escaping into the face of the operator.

It is intended that the teeth on the cylinder B and the concave B shall be so constructed and arranged that the substance, in passing between said parts, shall be thrashed and hulled, and then delivered upon the strawshaker, where the seeds are separated from the straw and the latter tossed off from the rear end of the machine.

The straw-carrier is a finely-perforated board or plate having metallic pickers d arranged upon its upper surface for raising the straw and facilitating the separation of the seeds therefrom. Thisstraw-shakerishungbymeans of rods from the main frame A, andoperated with a longitudinal rocking and tossing move ment. Beneath this straw carrier and shaker is a board or table, 0, which receives upon it all the seed, &c., which fall through the shaker, and conducts these substances downward and forward upon the upper screen, D, of a vibrating shoe. This screening-shoe separates all the seeds which are freed from the pods and discharges them upon the imperforated boards a c of a vibrating shoe, E. (Shown in Figs. 2 and 5.)

The pods containing seed and other foreign substances which do not pass through the two screens are discharged from these screens into a trough, F, from whence said substances are carried back to the front part of the machine and again passed into the concave of the thrashing and hulling cylinder, to be resubjected to said parts.

The vibrating shoe E is arranged directly beneath the screening-shoe, so as to catch all the seed falling therefrom; and it is also arranged under the influence of the blasts of air from the fan-chamber G. As the seeds fall upon the board 6 of the shoe E, and as they fall from the board 0 upon the board e, they will pass through strong blasts of air, which will deprive the seeds of all dust and other foreign substances which may have passed through the screens.

The shoe E is provided with two inclined boards, 0 e, as above mentioned, which are arranged so as to leave a space, f, between them, through which space the dust, &c., which it is desired to separate from the good seeds, is blown as the seeds fall from the lower edge of the board 0 upon the upper part of the board 6.

As the opening f, between the two inclined boards 0 e, is brought very near the fan-chamber G, and under the influence of a strong blast of air from said chamber, it is important to arrange back of the space f, and beneath the two boards 0 e, a trap, g, for catching the good seeds which may be forced through the passage f. The back board of this trap y allows the air and dust to escape over it, but retains the seed.

A trough, g, is arranged along the transverse lower edge of the board 0 for receiving and conducting the seeds toward one side of the machine and discharging them into a suitable receptacle.

The teeth h h, which arearranged in rows upon the concave B, as shown in Fig. 7, are constructed of a pyramidal form, with their sides concave and serrated. The teeth on the cylinder B are constructed with convex sides and serrated surfaces, as shown in Figs. 3 and 8. By thus constructing the teeth they will have a greater and more thorough action upon the u'nhulled clover byretaining the substances in the concave a greater length of time than would be the case it teeth of the common form were used on the concave.

The application of sheet-metal pickers to the surface of the perforated straw-shaker G, for the purpose of shaking out the seeds, is an improvement on the wooden pickers hitherto used.

The great advantage of the metal pickers d over wooden pickers is that I am enabled to use a board, 0, having a greater number of exposed perforations. The sheet-metal pickers are so thin that the holes through the board 0 can be made very close together, and will not be covered by the pickers.

The use of the wooden blocks or pickers would cover up about one-sixth of the surface of the board 0, rendering it useless; but by the use of thin sheet-metal pickers I obtain all the surface of the shaker, as much so as if there were no pickers upon it.

I do not claim the broad idea of employing a suction-fan for the purpose of drawing dust and chaff away from the operator who feeds the machine 5 nor do I claim arranging a blastfan on the shaft of the thrashing-cylinder when such fan does not draw the dust away from the operator who feeds the machine nor do I claim such arrangement of fan, broadly, when it does draw the dust through a blast-spout away from the operator; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a thrashing or clover hulling and thrashing machine which employs a fan, G, for blasting or blowing away chaff, dust, and other foreign substances, the construction and arrangement of the dust-chambers b, situated within the frame of the machine, apertures b, fan b and discharge-passage at a, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The construction of the shoe E with the imperforated boards 0 e g, said boards being arranged as described and shown, for the purpose set forth.

M. H. MANSFIELD.

Witnesses RoB'r. MCMURRAY, J. H. McOoMBs. 

